Wednesday, June 24, 2015

When I look at the clown car...

...that's running for the Republican nomination for president in 2016 (and it is a clown car, let's not kid ourselves), I am increasingly convinced that Jeb Bush will win out. He has the money, the backing of the establishment and the persona that people could picture in the Oval Office. (Most important, Jeb's also leading on all the betting and prediction websites.)

So it brings me to the next question: Who, from his supporting cast, could I realistically see as Jeb's running mate? Scott Walker, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Donald Trump? Please. I couldn't honestly see any of these individuals in the White House. (See what I mean about a clown car?)

What about Chris Christie, Lindsey Graham, John Kasich or George Pataki? They're all more credible candidates (with the possible exception of Christie), but they also have one glaring deficiency -- they could each be portrayed as moderates. (Gasp!) And do you think the Republican Party of 2016 is going to nominate two moderates? As Jerry Seinfeld would say, "Not bloody likely!"

So who does that leave? (Have I left anyone out?) Unless Jeb reaches beyond the cast of characters running this year (which is entirely possible), he's left with Marco Rubio. And, much as I hate to admit it, a Bush/Rubio ticket in 2016 could be formidable.

Now I know what you're thinking: Jeb and Rubio both come from Florida and the Constitution requires that running mates hail from different states. Or does it? Read this.

How did W get away with choosing Dick Cheney, another Texan, as his running mate in 2000? Cheney registered to vote in Wyoming. The important thing is, they got around it. And Jeb will too.

So Bush/Rubio in 2016? If I were a GOP bigwig, that's what I would recommend.